With a growing number of students questioning whether the cost of a college education has grown too high to be justified, the reality of students selecting non-traditional paths has finally garnered a response from colleges: According to a list published by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, private nonprofit colleges and universities are unveiling lots of affordability measures in the coming academic year including tuition cuts, freezes and guarantees, three-year degree programs, four-year graduation pledges, curricular changes to help students graduate on time, partnerships with community colleges, lower tuition increases and scholarship assistance. Check out some of the highlights below (and to see the full list, click here):

Baylor University - Waco, TX: In the upcoming academic year, Baylor will begin the pilot phase of the new Baylor at MCC Co-Enrollment Program with McLennan Community College. Students in the program will attend the first year or two at MCC then move on to graduate from Baylor.

Roosevelt University - Chicago, IL: Beginning this fall, Roosevelt and nearby community colleges will offer students the opportunity to complete associate degrees and matriculate to Roosevelt at a frozen tuition price point across four years.

Simmons College - Boston, MA: Simmons will start offering 3+1 programs this fall that will allow students to receive both bachelor's and master's degrees in just four years.

University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, PA: UPenn is increasing total undergraduate charges by 3.9 percent for 2012-13, the second lowest increase in 44 years. The school is also increasing its financial aid budget by 7.7 percent over 2011-12.

Always try to have yours and your parents' tax returns completed as soon as possible to have your FAFSA completed on time; however, since required documents like W-2s and other federal papers often aren’t available when you need them, file the FAFSA and select the option “Will File” rather than “Already Completed” for the question asking if you have already filed the tax returns. Use the tax information from the previous year so that you can have it completed by the deadline and once your tax returns are complete, go back into the FAFSA and use the “Make Corrections” option to update the information.

Happy filing, everyone!

Radha Jhatakia is a communications major at San Jose State University. She's a transfer student who had some ups and downs in school and many obstacles to face; these challenges – plus support from family, friends and cat – have only made Radha stronger and have given her the experience to help others with the same issues. In her spare time, she enjoys writing, reading, cooking, sewing and designing. A social butterfly, Radha hopes to work in public relations and marketing upon graduation.